When someone wishes to use a toilet in public locations such as restaurants, theaters, concert halls, etcetera, it is a common situation that the toilet seat and cover are soiled with liquids or substances of varying nature, such that when raising the cover and seat hands come into contact with the soiled surface. This contact may result in biologic-infectious illnesses, in addition to bothering the one aiming to use the toilet. Thus, users often prefer not to use public toilets.
Likewise, sometimes seats are so soiled that users need or prefer to raise the seat in advance, along with the cover, in order to prevent their legs from coming in contact with the seat surface. However, this action does not prevent their hands from being directly in contact with the soiled seat, thereby resulting in the abovementioned risks and discomfort, which may even take place in domestic toilets.
It is worth mentioning that, even if most toilets seats are raised beyond the upper border of the toilet upper surface or rim by a height of about 5 to 8 millimeters in order to prevent liquids from building up between the seat and the rim, the seat continues to be wetted to some extent. Likewise, there are seats having their lower wall in a flat or concave shape. In this case, the seat includes radial ribs which raise it beyond the rim. However, this soiling problem is not fully avoided either.
On the other hand, there are also times where someone suffering from back problems finds almost impossible to lean down and raise a toilet cover and/or seat, needing help from other person to perform this seemingly easy task.
In order to face and solve these problems, there are some devices in the art to raise a toilet seat with no need to touch it or lean down. For example, the U.S. U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,385; U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,084; U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,335; U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,027; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,412 depict devices that are driven through the user foot, allowing to raise cover and thus the seat of a toilet. Generally, these devices are already installed either on the toilet or on the ground. However, they require considerable room, which is not available in many toilets. Also, the installation of such devices is difficult, due to the numerous parts and systems integrating them, which may be extremely complex and thus expensive. Likewise, due to the cleaning works that must be performed in toilets, this kind of devices may be damaged by water.
On the other hand, there are devices that are not directly driven by the user, but which use much more complex systems, such as the device depicted in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,293. Such a device has an optical and electronic system which is activated when the user comes close to the toilet, such that the device automatically raises the seat through very complex motors and components. Likewise, the device depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,804 raises the seat through a motor when the user activates the device by pressing a button. Although comfortable, these systems are very expensive and, as they require a lot of materials and equipment, they are also difficult to install.
In the prior art there are also simple devices, such as the one depicted in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,592, which comprises a plate, a lever, and a counterweight which automatically keep the seat raised when it is not in use. However, although this device exhibits a simple construction, it has the disadvantage of not providing the option of having the seat in another position, since it is always kept raised.
Another simple device may be found in the British Patent Application 2,295,167 A, wherein the device comprises two independent levers to respectively raise either the toilet seat or cover. These levers may be driven by means of hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical means. However, it is completely clear that it is necessary to perform major adjustments to the seat or cover to secure such levers, such adjustments being even more important when the levers are driven by means of the abovementioned motion means.
Accordingly, it is easy to appreciate that the design and installation of the devices existing in the art are generally not involved in the basic assembly existing between the essential parts of toilets, i.e. for the installation of the devices in the prior art some substantial changes are to be made, either to the toilet, cover, seat, or even to the space surrounding the toilet.
Regarding the above, it is worth mentioning that toilet seats and covers are integrated in one assembly that is mounted on a pair of mounting bores located in the rear part of the toilet upper surface or rim. However, it is worth mentioning that many public toilets have only one seat mounted.
Also, the seat and cover have a common joint or hinge allowing to raise and lower the seat and/or cover beyond the toilet rim. More particularly, such a joint is formed by a pair of hinge supports which are just the ones that are secured on the rim mounting bores. Such hinge supports include holes that concentrically line up with other holes included both in the seat and cover such that, upon lining up, they form a conduit to receive the bolts or pins, thereby forming the hinge on which a movement is performed to raise and lower the seat and/or cover. In the prior art there is no device related in a simple manner to this basic arrangement between the toilet seat, cover, and rim and the hinge supports.